Most political parties have agreed to a proposal limiting an individual’s tenure as prime minister to a maximum of 10 years in their lifetime, excluding three parties that had alternative views, said Zonayed Saki, the chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon.
He made the comments while speaking to journalists on Sunday following the second phase of discussions held between political parties and the National Consensus Commission at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
Zonayed Saki said: “There has been a discussion on how many terms a person can serve as prime minister. A proposal was placed suggesting that the prime minister could take oath a maximum of two times. The Election Reform Commission proposed that the prime minister's tenure should be two terms.”
“Now, there is a complexity around the terms and the duration. ‘Term’ refers to a full five-year period or however long the parliament remains, while ‘two times’ could mean two appointments within the same term. This has led to discussions around defining the duration more clearly,” he added.
Saki explained: “A new proposal has been brought forward suggesting the prime minister's tenure be defined by years rather than terms. That is, a person may serve as prime minister for a maximum of 10 years in their lifetime. After this proposal was placed, we requested time for mutual discussions and the National Consensus Commission approved it. Political parties have since discussed it.”
“Except for three parties, most have agreed to the proposal that a person may serve as prime minister for a maximum of 10 years in their lifetime. The three parties have put forward alternative proposals. Alongside these, there are other unresolved issues—such as the representation of women in parliament and the matter of direct elections, appointments to constitutional positions through a constitutional commission, formation of an upper house based on proportional representation and its powers, the balance between two houses, presidential elections and the balance of power between the president and prime minister—on which discussions have been held,” he said.
The Ganosamhati Andolon leader concluded, saying: “Consensus has been reached on some points, while disagreements remain on others. We aim to reach as much consensus as possible through continued discussions on these matters. A follow-up meeting will be held next Wednesday. However, through these talks, we are moving towards broader unity. If we can build further consensus, Bangladesh’s democratic reconstruction will advance in a meaningful way.”
